Kara Swisher on Taking Risks and Having No Regrets

If there’s one thing you notice right off the bat about Kara Swisher, it’s that the executive editor of Recode does not mince words. It could be because she doesn’t have time to run circles around her meaning, but the more she speaks her mind, the more you realize that the tech journalist is simply a straight shooter.

Yet Swisher is as insightful as she is direct, and the combo makes her bore-proof—and a great interviewer to watch in action. See for yourself at the 2017 Watermark Conference for Women, where she’ll be in conversation first with Sheryl Sandberg and then with former Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright and Condoleezza Rice. Until then, check out what she has learned on her journey from being a corporate employee to startup founder and owner.

BEST CAREER ADVICE

ON LEAVING A SALARY TO STRIKE OUT ON YOUR OWN

“Do it if you are creative or a risk-taker. Don’t let your talents go to waste. It’s so freeing to be in charge of your destiny on some level, to rise and fall on your abilities.”

ON DEALING WITH SETBACKS

“You’ve got to tune out your self-doubts and understand that it’s okay to fail. It’s like that Thomas Edison quote, ‘I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.’”

SECRET ABOUT SUCCESS

“Successful people don’t think about success. It’s not the end-all. The end-all is getting your idea off the ground, turning it into reality. Success is just the byproduct.”

HAPPY LIFE ADVICE

“Live life so you don’t have regrets. My dad died when he was 34, and I saw early on how ephemeral life can be. So I always try to do what I think is the right thing to do—I don’t try to screw people—and I live without apology.”

Kara Swisher will be speaking during the Opening Keynote Session and Luncheon Keynote Session at the 2017 Watermark Conference for Women.